


After Sundown

by silverlightdragon



Category: Original Work
Genre: Original work - Freeform, Short Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:20:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28110798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverlightdragon/pseuds/silverlightdragon





	After Sundown

The scream of despair was what woke Luke up that morning. While he rolled out of bed, he prayed that it was not another one, but he had a feeling that it would be. After Luke got dressed, he made his way to the main part of the cottage to get some breakfast and hear the news. Like normal, his great-grandmother was sitting in her rocking chair by the hearth and barely acknowledged his presence in the room, even after he said good morning. She was always in her rocking chair and nobody ever really paid her any attention and she seemed to prefer that. She never wanted to talk or interact with anybody, even her family. His great-grandmother seemed to be a permanent fixture in the cottage, never seeming to leave her chair.  
While he was getting porridge from the kitchen, his mother mentioned that his father and brother, Jason, had gone out to see what had happened. Of course, Luke thought, I am only sixteen while Jason is eighteen, so father confides in him more than me. Just as he was sitting down, they walked through the door and his father went straight over to Luke’s mother to talk to her. Jason grabbed a bowl of food and headed over and plopped down in a seat right next to Luke. Jason leaned over and whispered, “It was old man Jethro. Some of the villagers found parts of him in the field this morning when they went out to let the animals out of the barns. This is the fourth person this week,” Jason finished sadly as he stirred the porridge around in his bowl absentmindedly. Luke nodded, barely paying attention. He was thinking about the creature terrorizing the village at night.  
Whatever was attacking the village had been doing it for months now. At first, only a few of the livestock would go missing. Then about a month into the attacks, people that were outside after sundown disappeared. If they were even found at all, they were normally torn up almost beyond recognition or, like old man Jethro, only pieces were discovered. There had been a few hunters that had gone out one night and tried to kill the creature, but the next morning had been a squeamish sight even for the toughest person. So far, the attacks had only happened at night, but there was an unspoken fear around the village that all of this might change one day. Something has to be done before this gets worse, Luke thought, just as Jason started to talk again. “This has to stop. We shouldn’t be afraid to go out at night. Nobody should live like this,” he muttered angrily. Then Jason looked around to make sure nobody else was in hearing distance and then leaned in closer to Luke with a glint in his blue eyes and whispered, “and I have a plan.”   
“What is it?” Luke whispered back.   
“I’ll tell you outside,” Jason replied, rising up and heading to the door of the cottage. Luke got up and started to follow his brother and just as he was about to cross the threshold out into the sunny morning, he felt as if somebody or something was staring at him. Luke paused and glanced back over his shoulder, but his parents were still in a heated conversation in the kitchen and his great-grandmother was staring into the hearth. He decided it was just his imagination and hurried to catch up to Jason, but he missed the glance that was sent his way.  
Jason was waiting impatiently by the side of the barn for Luke. As soon as Luke came up to him, he started to explain the plan that he had. Luke listened with rising horror as Jason talked. Jason wanted to go out tonight and kill the beast. He mentioned that they could wait in a clearing for the creature to come to them and since the moon was going to be full, they would have plenty of light to see. Jason, with a smirk on his face, pulled a burlap sack out from behind his legs that Luke had not noticed. When Jason opened the sack, Luke was able to see the glint of steel before the sack was closed.  
“You know Damien’s father is the town’s blacksmith. He was able to sneak out two swords for me. So are you going to come with me tonight or not, because I am going no matter what.” Jason said in a determined tone while looking Luke straight in the eyes. Luke had always known that Jason was the more irrational one and his plan proved this.   
“Fine, I will go with you,” Luke said, knowing in his heart that if he didn’t go, he would worry himself sick over the safety of his brother.  
“ I knew I could count on you. Tonight we’re going to do a little monster hunting.” Jason said with a grim smile.  
Later that night, when everybody was asleep, Luke and Jason snuck out of the cottage with the swords. The moonlight shone brightly and gave off plenty of light, so the boys could see quite well as they made their way to the chosen clearing that Jason had picked out. As they walked, the forest seemed alive with the sound of nighttime activity. A stranger to the village would never have believed the danger that this peaceful forest held. All of a sudden the forest went deathly silent. Luke was turning to question Jason about this when something large and furry slammed into his back and sent him flying.  
When he hit the ground, Luke almost lost consciousness from the impact. While he was trying to struggle to his feet with the blade in his hand, he heard Jason give a scream of terror and pain that was suddenly cut off. Luke looked over to where Jason was and saw a sight that nightmares are made of. The creature towered over Jason’s broken, bloody body with claws that dripped with his blood. It turned its head and stared at Luke with demonic, yellow eyes and then with lightning fast speed came at him.  
The next thing Luke knew the creature's claws were digging into his shoulder and the pain was unbearable. The monster was close enough that he could smell its rancid breath and see its gaping mouth filled with dagger-like teeth going for his throat. Luke swung the sword and the creature gave a roar of pain that hurt his eardrums. Warm, wet liquid sprayed into Luke’s eyes as the creature moved away from him. After he wiped his eyes to see, the creature had disappeared and the forest came alive with sound again. Luke looked down and saw the severed claw-like hand that he had chopped off.  
He gave a shudder to how close he had almost come to seeing death face to face. He tore off part of his shirt to bandage his shoulder where the creature had dug its claws in. Then he ran over to his brother, praying to any deity that his brother was still alive.   
“Jason, please be alive,” Luke whispered. Jason was pale and bloody slashes covered his body. At first glance, Luke thought he was dead, but then he saw the slight labored rise and fall of his chest.   
Luke started running back to the village to get help. He woke up his father and some of the other men of the village and led them back to Jason. Luke also showed them the hand that he had cut off of the creature. They picked up Jason and carried him back to his cottage. Their weeping mother greeted them at the door and led them inside. Somebody was sent to get the town’s physician, as they tried to stop the blood flow as best as they could. The physician arrived and started to work on Jason.  
He said that Jason was very lucky, because none of the vital organs had been ruined and the blood flow had been stopped in time before he had lost too much. The physician said that Jason would live. In all of the excitement, nobody noticed the cottage door opening and closing. The figure made its way along the edge of the cottage in the shadows. It started to go over to Jason, but changed its course. Nobody paid any attention as the figure took her regular seat in the rocking chair next to the hearth. They never saw the hate filled glances she would give them as she sat rocking in her chair, clutching the bandaged stump where her hand had been.


End file.
